//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 - Kachin 
// Story: The Tourney 
// by Emo Rainbow 
//------------------------------//

“Fighter!? Fighter Swan!?” Lucky Day shouted as he continuously flew up and down the block in a desperate bid to spot his niece from his bird's eye view. They had been searching for hours, but there was no trace of where she went after leaving the apartment. Lucky continued to fly around the area until he felt his already worn-out wings beginning to slow down. Quickly he changed his trajectory towards the next block over where his sister Sunny was searching and glided towards her, panting heavily the entire way.

"Sunny! You found her?" He called out to his sister as she emerged from a dark alleyway with a worried expression.

"No! Nothing!" She said as she sat down and began chewing on her hooves anxiously. "I don't know Lucky, I think we need to call the police. She's been missing for hours, and we can't find her in any of her normal spots." Sunny said with increasing worry.

"I-It's okay sis," He said as he wrapped her in a hug that she thankfully returned. "She's probably fine, but reporting it to the police will definitely speed things up. She'll be back with us in no time." He said as convincingly as he could to calm down his shivering sister. Eventually the mare regained her composure and broke the hug, giving her brother a nod of determination. 

"Alright, I'm good. This is no time to get hysterical. Fighter needs us." She said with renewed vigor in her voice. Lucky was about to agree with her, until the distinct sound of somepony landing on the empty street behind them caught his and Sunny's attention.

"Hello there!" The dark blue Pegasus called out heartily. "When I was flying by, I couldn't help but notice that you were calling somepony's name. Are you looking for them?" 

"Yeah, her name's Fighter Swan, little pink filly with a blonde mane and tail." Lucky quickly described, hopeful that this stranger had seen her. There was an awkward pause as the stallion brought a hoof to his chin and looked down in what seemed to be thought. Upon closer inspection however, Lucky could see him smiling from ear to ear and trying his best to hide it behind a hoof. 

"That's all I needed to hear." He said before letting out a long sigh of relief that seemed to relax his shoulders. Sunny and Lucky looked at each other in confusion as a sense of dread quickly built up within them both, yet before either one could act the stallion immediately sprang into action.

"WIND RIP!" He shouted forcefully as the red bracelet attached to his hoof lit up with a bright light, causing the calm breeze around them to suddenly whip and stir like they were in a hurricane. Instinctively Lucky flared out his wings and was sent flying back by the force of the wind, slamming him directly into the stone building behind him. As he was pinned against the wall he looked up to see a terrifying bipedal creature swinging its arms around while standing in mid-air, and from its motions came bursts of concentrated air that flew directly towards him and his sister. 

"Sunny!" He screamed with fear as he forced himself out of the wind's grip and lunged at her, pushing her out of her own little wind trap that had successfully glued her to the ground. She took in a loud breath that was drowned out by the sounds of exploding rock, as the powerful pillars of wind drilled into the ground where she was standing with ease.

With his head devoid of ideas, and his body turning to desperation mode, he quickly pushed his sister further into the alley they had been backed into and stood in front of their attackers.

"Run Sunny! Find Fighter and ge-" He didn't even get to the end of his sentence before a massive beam of purple magic flew past him and struck the floating creature square in the chest causing him to scream out in pain and fall closer towards the ground. Suddenly all of the wind died down ever so slightly, reducing the hoof lifting strength to a mere harsh breeze. 

"Where is she! What do you know about my daughter?!" She screamed angrily towards the Pegasus who only looked at her with mild interest.

"Now that's something I don't see every day. A normal pony able to actually hurt Todd." With that simple remark as a response, the Pegasus jumped up into the air and flapped his mighty wings, causing blades of wind to fire towards the siblings. They did their best to dodge the swirling weapons as they careened towards them, but the speed at which they came was far too great for either of them to react in time. The blasts connected to both of them, causing Lucky to spin out of control and hit the wall, and for Sunny to smash into a group of metal trash cans deeper within the alley. 

Lucky slowly slid down the wall, dazed and confused from the throw, and his eyes filled with nothing but swirling and blurred images. He looked off to the side and could faintly tell that Sunny was lying unconscious in a pile of garbage, but she was quickly picked up by the biped and tossed over his shoulder.

"Why...are you...doing this?" Lucky asked with a pained raspiness in his voice. 

"That's simple," The biped said as he tossed Sunny onto the ground and rested his foot on her head. "We have questions, and you have answers. You'll give us those answers," He started applying pressure to Sunny's head, and within seconds he could hear her screaming louder than he'd ever heard before. The very sight making his heart break into a million pieces. "Or else little miss trigger horn here will have to be drinking out of a straw for the rest of her life."








“And then, I was stuck there waiting for over an hour and a half! Not ten minutes, not thirty minutes, but a whole hour and a half!” Fighter said as she paced back and forth on the grass directly in front of Clarke who remained seated against the fountain. Very quickly after calming the filly down, he did the first thing any rational person would do and asked the kid what was wrong. Well in all honesty, the first thing a rational person would have done was freak out at the fact that a talking pink pony was venting all of their problems onto them, but Clarke was never one to make things all about him. Especially when there was a child in distress.

“That’s not the end of it, I take it?” Clarke asked calmly as the filly paused to catch her breath. She shook her head no and began to let out a low chuckle of frustration.

“No, oh ho ho no! It only gets worse. You see after my mom talked to me about it I assumed that my dad would still show up! I mean silly me, why would I expect that, he’s just my DAD!” She emphasized with a stomp on the ground. Clarke let out an exhale as he rubbed his neck awkwardly as it wasn’t the first time he’d dealt with a kid who had neglectful parents; this only made her seem even more human to him than before. He guessed that even alien horses still had the same types of problems as humans did, so hopefully his experience would still mean something when helping her.

“So, you’re truly upset at the fact that your father lied to you?” Clarke asked her, garnering a sideways glance from the filly.

“Gee, is it that obvious!?” She said huffily as she sat down on the grass. She took a deep breath and looked at him with an apologetic face before continuing. “I’m sorry, I’m just so peeved-oop!” Quickly she clasped her hooves over her mouth and looked at Clarke like a deer in the headlights, yet he simply cocked his head to the side curiously. Fighter slowly lowered her hooves and internally rejoiced that he was cool with that little curse she let slip out. She knew that if her mother had heard that, she’d be having to clean the kitchen every day for the next month. 

“Well...what I mean is that,” Slowly she returned to her earlier train of thought, thankful for Clarke’s patience and willingness to listen. “Would it have killed anypony to at least pretend to like me? Am I so bad that nopony could even stand to show up for free cake? I know I would!” She said as she pointed to herself frantically.

“Well, what about your mother? Your uncle? Didn’t they come?” Clarke asked the precocious little scamp, hoping to lead her along the right path. Fighter sighed once more and looked towards the ground.

“Well that’s different. They’re supposed to show up.” She said softly, doing her best to rationalize to herself why anyone would be there at all. 

“Why do you say that?” Clarke continued, curious as to what her response would be, only for the filly to scoff and roll her eyes at the question.

“Well, ugh, they’re my mom and Uncle. Pretty much the only ponies I ever talk to anymore. For them it’s... mandatory I guess.” She said to him as her emotions again began to rise. She was trying her hardest to show him her reasoning, but even she could sense the faults within her argument as she unconsciously rubbed her bracelet clad hoof.

“Well...your father certainly didn’t feel the need to show up, but your mother put everything together for you. Your uncle, I assume, doesn’t live with you, yet he still showed up to support you.” He said as he watched her stance becoming more uncomfortable. “I understand how it feels to think you’re not worth caring about, but if you pay attention to the pe-...ponies you already have, you’ll see that they love you no matter what.

“Sure some other ponies may not notice you in the way you like, some may even lie, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you Fighter.” She looked up at him with wide eyes and a dropped jaw when she heard him say those words. “If you keep putting yourself out there, then I guarantee you’ll find the companionship you deserve. Just always remember that there are still ponies out there who care about you more than anything.” There was a long pause as Fighter considered his words carefully. 

Here was this random creature who appeared out of nowhere, taking the time to help her through her problems. She couldn’t imagine what questions he should be asking right now, the amounts of things weighing on his mind, yet here he was spending time with her. He certainly made a good point about her mother and uncle caring, a point that she reasonably couldn’t refuse, but still she just couldn’t shake the sour feeling in her heart. Her hopeful expression quickly fell into another frown as she turned away from him.

“Thanks, Clarke, but I know you’re just trying to make me feel better. I appreciate mom and uncle Lucky, but let’s face it, I’m not worth anypony else’s time.” She said with sad resignation, only to have the familiar hand rest on her mane yet again.

“You’re too hard on yourself Fighter. Everyone deserves love and recognition, no exception,” She turned up to look at him once again, and the warm smile on his face practically slingshotted her into another happy expression. “And for what it’s worth, I think you’re pretty cool.” 

Clarke watched as the filly’s already humongous eyes grew even larger, it was a sight that was simultaneously the cutest, and the most disturbing thing he’d ever seen. 

“Best gift ever…” She whispered to herself so quietly that not even Clarke was able to hear as he looked up to the darkening sky above them. 

“So, it’s getting pretty late. Do you...like...have to go home or something?” Clarke asked curiously.

Fighter shook her head to regain her bearings and suddenly felt her heart drop into her stomach as she realized that almost half of the day had passed since she ran from home. The stars were now out, the clouds were barely visible, and she now had to somehow explain why she was now casually hanging around a tall monster.

“Oh no! Mom is gonna kill me!” She said as she clasped her hooves onto her face in fear. Quickly she made a beeline for the large gate entrance to the park before skidding to a halt and turning around to look up at Clarke while trotting in place nervously. “Um, just follow me okay? We have to get home before mom makes the punishment worse!” 

“What? Me go with you?” Clarke said as he too began to feel a bit nervous. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, I assume you don’t have humans here so I don’t want to freak anyone out.” Clarke said as his everyday empathy and politeness came back in full force. 

“Come on Clarke! Where do you expect to go? Are you just gonna sleep here in the park like a homeless guy? Cause you’ll get arrested if you do that.” She explained matter of factly, trying her best to not bring up the fact that he was technically her birthday present and she was not about to let him just slink away.

“Hmm.” Clarke hummed in thought as he tapped his chin, debating what he should do. In all honesty it did make sense, as if he just wandered off who knows what trouble he’d end up in. Even though she was just a kid, he’d grown quite fond of her. He figured his best bet was getting some answers from her family, as she would be the only pony around that could vouch for him if he were ever considered a monster or alien. If ponies in this place were as paranoid and rash as scared humans it was only a matter of time before he was chased with torches and pitchforks.

“Alright, I’ll follow you. We’d best come up with a good explanation though.” She gave him a quick thank you before sprinting towards the gates that looked to be quite a ways away from the fountain in the center of the park. Clarke however caught up to her in just a few quick strides, and managed to maintain her pace with just a simple jog while she seemed to be tiring herself out. 

“Uh, Fighter? You alright?” He asked as he continued to jog beside her, the sounds of her heavy pants accompanying the patter of her hooves against the soft grass. 

“I’m...fine! Ugh, I gotta get out more.” She said with dispersed panting before finally slowing down to a walking pace. 

“Here, let me try something,” Clarke said as he leaned down towards her and scooped her up in his arms. Fighter let out a quick eep of surprise as he hoisted her onto his shoulder and continued to walk, the sensation of being so high up dizzying her for a moment. “Now we can make it back to your home faster.” 

“Uh-huh.” Fighter said with a slight crack in her voice as she nervously dug her front hooves into Clarke’s shoulder for fear of losing balance, despite his hand still resting on her back to do just that. 

“Are you okay? Do you want back down?” He asked nervously as he heard and felt her anxiousness. Fighter was about to request that he do so, until she noticed that in just a few big steps they had already reached the gate. If she wanted to make it home fast, this was her best bet, even if she wasn’t the biggest fan of heights. 

“No...no I’m fine. Double time it Clarke!” She said with determination as she hardened her grip. Clarke winced a little at the pressure she put on him, but in the interest of her comfort on his shoulder he gritted his teeth and bore it. With a nod he sprinted out of the gate and onto the stone street outside, making sure to watch his step in the dark. 

Fighter squinted her eyes and did her best to guide Clarke as he ran through the empty streets with frantic lefts and rights as the scenery around them rushed past in a blur. As they traveled up a steep hill of a street, both Clarke and Fighter heard the chattering of a crowd just up ahead. Fighter stretched her neck upwards to see further ahead and was just able to make out the forms of several ponies being questioned by a group of police ponies who were blocking off the entrance to the street she’d most often take back home. 

“Where next?” Clarke asked as he heard the approaching voices growing louder. Fighter wracked her brain for a solution, but the sounds of the hoofsteps steadily getting closer began to place pressure on her. 

“Uh...through there!” She said as she pointed to a small and narrow street that ran right between two tall buildings very close together, so Clarke quickly nodded and followed her command, sprinting through the street to the other side. “Make a left.” She continued, setting them back on what she assumed was the correct path. Fighter kept her eyes peeled after that in case there were any other distractions, and after a few more close calls with ponies running about and talking about some sort of 'attack' they had managed to make it to her street.

“Is it always that busy at this time of night?” Clarke asked as he walked through the small and empty street area, the sounds of crickets adding a strange sense of familiarity to the scenery. 

“I don’t know...I’m never out this late.” Fighter said with a look of pure terror on her face. Clarke picked her up off of his shoulder and gently set her down on the ground beside him. 

“I’m sure it’ll be alright. I think your mom will be too focused on me to be angry at you.” Clarke said with a chuckle that hid his apprehension with meeting more ponies. 

“Yeah...yeah let’s hope for that.” She said before taking several deep breaths and leading Clarke down the road. He looked up to the buildings around him, the first time he’d gotten a chance to since he got here, and felt confused at the juxtaposition of their quality. Many of the buildings he’d passed on the way here were made of the same stone as the streets beneath him, but these wooden buildings looked to be in much poorer condition. Some had what looked to be boarded up windows, yet they all still had some form of light that indicated someone still living inside. 

Nervously he continued following Fighter until she led him to a long staircase leading up to the top floor of one of the nicer wooden buildings, there he could see a multitude of doors signifying it as a type of apartment complex. While he was glad that such a building wasn’t in as poor a shape as he initially expected, he was still concerned with how quickly it’s stair access led to the street outside. The wooden boards creaked as he and Fighter made their way up, though Clarke tried his best to offset his weight on the tiny steps so as not to break them, and soon they both stood in front of a brown door with faded black numbers in front labeling it 14C.

“This is it…” Fighter said as she turned her head and looked up at Clarke.

“Yeah, I’ll just...let you do the talking first.” He said as he backed up and waited by the door. “Just holler if you feel like things are going south so I can grab their attention. Use a code-word like….pineapple.” Clarke explained as he sat against the wall outside. Slowly, Fighter nodded as she knocked on the door, but to her surprise it slowly creaked open on its own.

“Pineapple, pineapple, pineapple, pineapple.” She repeated to herself silently as she slowly entered the unusually dark house. The only light she could see was flooding into the living room to the left from the kitchen on the other side of the apartment. She heard the sound of humming coming from the kitchen, and with a deep breath she announced her return.

“Mom? Uncle Lucky? I’m home…” She said with waning vigor as the sound of a dropped fork and hushed whispers filled her with dread. There were some more thuds and muffled noises that suddenly made her feel very uncomfortable, but the moment she saw a strange blue Pegasus round the corner out of the kitchen she froze.

“Well, well, well. You must be Fighter Swan!” He said happily while he flashed her a smile that although looked genuine, was seething with underlying anger and aggression. “Happy birthday sweetheart, have you tried that cake yet? It’s positively scrumptious! Mmm mmm!” He said while shaking his head and licking his lips. Fighter took a step back in fright, only to feel her rump bump against something warm. She looked up and saw another towering creature just like Clarke, only this one was a pale white with deep red hair and an opened button-up shirt. His head nearly touched the ceiling, and his face was much more honest than the Pegasus’ as he glared at her with murderous intent.

“Y-y-you mean…” She paused as she tried her best to focus on the right course of action and put on her bravest face. “You ate my PINEAPPLE cake!” She yelled with a pathetic, yet no less meaningful, stomp on the ground. Both the Pegasus and Human looked at each other in confusion, before the stallion shook his head and let out a low chuckle. 

“Todd.” He said simply as he motioned for them to follow him into the kitchen. Before Fighter could scream she felt the man's hands pick her up harshly and clasp his hand over her maw to keep her quiet. She squirmed in his grasp, but it proved too much to bear as practically none of her attempts netted her any results. 

As he walked her into the kitchen her eyes widened in horror as she saw both her mother and uncle sitting at the table and tied to their chairs, her mother being unconscious, while her uncle was bleeding from the temple. She felt her heart beginning to race as she was sat down on the far end chair facing the Pegasus, with Todd removing his hand from her mouth and placing it on her shoulder as a warning. 

“Now, listen here Fighter, can I call you Fighter?” He asked as he motioned to her with a free hoof. 

“W-w-w-well-”

“Ah doesn’t matter,” He interrupted while waving a dismissive hoof in her direction. “What does matter is that pretty little trinket on your hoof.” He said while staring down the pink bracelet on her left hoof. “Now seeing as how it’s already attached I assume you’ve met your partner, so I’m only going to ask this once. Where are they?” 

“W-w-what? What... what are you talking about?” Fighter curled her hooves to her chest and stuttered partially from the fear, and partially to buy as much time as possible to think of a plan. The stallion rolled his eyes and gestured to the man behind her, the bracelet on his hoof catching Fighter's eye for the first time.

“This here’s Todd, my partner. He showed up a few seconds after I put this bad boy on.” He said while flashing it to her in its entirety as it lit up with a bright red light. “He has one too, and everyone else we’ve met has had a similar experience.” He leaned closer to her and stared directly into her eyes. “We aren’t stupid, we know you’ve seen them.” 

“Oh...right. Well...he ran off! One look at me and he screamed and ran, I did the same too. I ran right home after I saw him.” She lied while doing her best to remain calm and not focus on the large shadowy figure that had slinked past her peripheral vision in the living room to the left. The stallion groaned into his hooves and slowly dragged them down his face before pushing the chair back and standing up.

“Listen kid, here’s the deal. We HAVE to kill one of you.” He said as he slowly walked around the table towards her uncle who was lightly fidgeting against his restraints. “Now me and Todd here have agreed that axing a little filly isn’t exactly something we both have on our bucket list, but we’ve gotta do what we’ve gotta do.” He placed his hoof on Lucky Days head and rotated it faster and faster until he threw it to the side, causing his neck to let out an audible crack that made her flinch and her uncle groan in pain. 

Fighter wanted to scream, but the grip on her shoulder only tightened every time she let out a reaction that the man didn’t like. All she could do was watch in horror as he turned around and slowly made his way to the other side of the table where her mother was, placing his hoof against her cheek this time as she sat there unconscious.

“You can either, A, tell us where he is so we can kill him and get on with our lives, or B, keep your mouth shut and force us to kill not only you, but your whole family as well.” He slowly caressed her mother’s cheek and walked back over to his original chair. “No witnesses and all that, you get it right? So what’ll it be?” Fighter looked at him a shivering mess, as she contemplated her options. She couldn’t believe what was happening right now, her whole family was in danger and she didn’t even know what for. 

She looked up to the man behind her and saw his menacing glare staring right back down at her, and she was beyond relieved to see that he was. That meant that he wasn’t focused on her saving grace slowly getting closer to the seated Pegasus.

“How about C?” Clarke said as he grabbed the Pegasus by his mane and wing and tossed him across the table with all of his might, slamming him directly into the other human and knocking them to the floor. “Fighter! Get them out of here!” He shouted as he jumped across the table and stood between the recovering intruders and the filly’s family.

“You wanted me, now I’m here.” He said as the man rolled the Pegasus off of him and stood back up with a toothy grin.

“Yeah, and now we finally get to have some fun newbies!” The previously silent man shouted happily as he lunged directly towards Clarke. He tried to throw a gut punch towards the young man, but Clarke expertly deflected the fist to the side and used his momentum to lead him into an open-palmed face strike. Todd growled before throwing a second punch that again was deflected and met with an opened palm strike. Finally he tried throwing a kick to Clarke's side, but as soon as he had made contact the man wrapped his arms around it and began pounding down on his leg with an elbow before tossing him back onto the ground. Clarke looked to the side as he felt a brush of air and saw the Pegasus lunging at him in mid-air, so he quickly ducked, placed his hands on the ponies torso, and redirected his path into Todd once again.

"You'll have to try harder than that, I know some MMA!" Clarke said with determination, and just a hint of cockiness. Todd stood back up, apparently unfazed from the previous failed attempts, and cracked his neck from side to side as his pony slowly joined him.

"Please, that was just the warm-up!" He yelled angrily as both he and Fiddler lunged at Clarke simultaneously. As they continued fighting on the other side of the kitchen, Fighter frantically hopped onto the counter and reached for the knives that were all the way to the back, only to once again realize that they were just out of her reach.

“Come on mom! I told you I can’t reach them when you put them there!” She screamed in frustration as her heart rate skyrocketed the more she heard Clarke fighting. Quickly she popped out one of the lower counter drawers and used the extra inches of height to reach the knife rack, pulling out the first one she could and stuffing it in her mouth. Fighter ran to her uncle who was fiercely pulling at his ropes, but the moment he saw her cutting he stopped to avoid getting in her way.

“Come on Uncle Lucky, help mom!” She said with a muffled voice due to the knife handle in her mouth. The moment she cut off the bindings on his hooves he pulled down on the rope in his mouth and positioned it so he could finally bite it off with his sharp teeth. With a burst of speed and adrenaline Lucky Day ran over to his sister across the table and immediately snapped off her binds with his teeth, freeing her instantly and tossing her onto his back. 

“Run Fighter!” He yelled just as both Todd and Fiddler tossed a bruised Clarke onto the table and continued wailing on him as he struggled. 

“Hold him down!” Todd yelled to Fiddler who had slid under the table and pulled Clarke’s arms back to pin him there. Clarke shook and pulled in every way he could, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t break free. Todd began pounding down on his chest and throat mercilessly, but in turn he left himself wide open for a kick to the groin that sent him reeling back. Clarke may have been pinned, but he was far from giving up.

“Fighter, let’s go!” Lucky yelled as he ran back and tried pulling on the filly who was standing in the doorway and looking at Clarke in fear. 

“But Clarke! We can’t leave him!” She yelled as she resisted her uncle's attempts to drag her away. Clarke heard the girl screaming and craned his head upwards to look at her scared face.

“It’s okay, just go! I can handle them!” He said, knowing full well that it was an uphill battle with these two. He’d need nothing short of a miracle to win, but he couldn’t truly do it with her still there and putting herself in danger.

Fighter looked at him and could immediately tell that he was lying, but what really drew her attention was Todd getting back up and grabbing one of the many knives from the rack with a look of fury on his face. Time seemed to slow down, as the screams of both Clarke and her uncle echoed as if they were far off in the distance, and the stabbing motion of Todd’s knife filled hand moved ever so slowly towards Clarke. She couldn’t watch this, she couldn’t let this happen, not to Clarke. He was alive, and no one deserved to die. He was there for her when no one else was, he was her friend, he was her birthday miracle, he...was HERS!

“KACHIN!” She shouted with an otherworldly force that echoed all around the house like a siren. The foreign words left her mouth in an instant, and with no explanation as to why, but what she did notice were both her and Clarke’s gems finally glowing up with their respective pink and green lights. Instantly Clarke’s skin and clothes began to harden with a shiny silver metal that made the table beneath him groan, and the moment the knife made contact it merely bent to the side like it was as bendable as freshly boiled noodles.

“What the-?” Was all Todd could say before a solid metal hand wrapped around his neck and squeezed. The table Clarke was on Finally collapsed, and Fiddler let out a scream of pain as the heavy metal man's full weight bore down on him. Todd gripped his hands around Clarke’s metal appendage and eventually started prying it off after using every ounce of strength within him. He was certainly stronger than most humans, but compared to Clarke in this form he knew it would take everything he had not to be crushed like a soda can.

“RAH!” Suddenly Todd was blindsided as he looked up and saw the same filly from before, this time covered in the same metal as Clarke, jumping towards him with her hoof pointed out. With no way to dodge he took the full force of her leaping punch and was sent flying backward into the wall, knocking him to one knee and gasping for air.

“Wind...rip!” Fiddler wheezed out from beneath Clarke’s metal body, causing both his and Todds gems to glow and the front door of the house to burst open as wind flooded inside. Todd quickly recovered from his hit and jutted both of his arms forward as he curled his hands into fists, commanding the wind to swirl around them like a tornado and blast both Clarke and Fighter backward. Though not strong enough to push them back too far, he was still able to get Clarke off of his partner and temporarily incapacitate them while he helped Fiddler back to his hooves as he coughed and wheezed.

“You’re gonna pay!” Fighter said angrily as she stomped on the ground with her metal hoof, causing the wood floor to partially shatter and splinter beneath her. Suddenly she felt a heavy hand resting on her head, causing her to look up at Clarke who had his eyes narrowed and focused on the intruders before them. She looked at him, then over to her uncle who was staring at her and Clarke with wide eyes, clearly confused as to what was happening. 

She understood what he meant with that small gesture, that now was not the time to get angry. Now was the time to focus on stopping them quickly, so that they couldn’t harm anypony ever again. She gave a determined nod to her uncle who nervously returned it and headed for the door with her mother still unconscious on his back. Suddenly that brief moment was cut off as both her and Clarke were hit with another blast of wind that, while not strong enough to move them, was still enough to smack some broken table pieces and kitchen items into her face as well as her metal braids. 

“You know...we wanted this to be quick and quiet, in and out, no hassle. So that the cops outside wouldn’t get wise, but then you just had to unlock your spells!” Fiddler said as their gems lit up once again, followed by Todd launching another ineffective blast of wind. “So who cares if they hear us, we’re gonna make you all suffer! I hope you’re happy, girl!” He said with a voice dripping of malice as he and Todd got in what looked like low fighting stances.

“WIND STOCK!” He shouted once more, this time a different spell that ceased all wind in its entirety and instead directed it all towards Todd's hands. The sound of the rushing winds grew louder as they prepared one final strike to end them, and after only a few seconds of waiting their attack was released. 

Clarke sprung into action and dug his metal fist into the floor while grabbing onto Fighter Swan as tightly as he could, as he could already tell that this was going to be bad. He had just barely managed to scoop fighter under his armpit as the fierce wind, stronger than any blast they had let out prior, struck them both and shook the entire building like an earthquake. Clarke’s metal jacket and scarf whipped around wildly as the fierce wind threatened to tear them out of their dug-in position, but Clarke still held on with the thought of Fighter’s safety solely on his mind.

The wall behind them soon began to rip and tear in multiple places when the winds bounced off of their metal frames and tore directly through the flimsy roof, sending it flying into the night sky, revealing the stars above them and allowing the wind to fire off above the building like a roaring white beacon. The sounds of screaming ponies rudely disturbed by the violent hurricane generated within the apartment was barely even audible above the roaring gales shredding the wooden walls apart, and it showed no signs of slowing anytime soon.

“We can do this all day!” Todd screamed with a smile as he focused the winds harder on Clarke’s arms.

“Yeah! We’ve practiced, and we can keep this going for however long it takes! Ha!” Fiddler shouted just as enthusiastically, allowing himself to get drunk on the power. Clarke held on as best as he could, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold out for another minute, as already his arms began to shake. Whatever Fighter had done to them was about to wear off, and he could feel it. He looked up through the wind and could see the blurry figures in front of him as they gloated, but what he also saw was a large blast of purple light fly directly into Todds left eye.

“GAAAAH!” He screamed in pain as he dropped the spell and clutched at his eyes desperately. “My eyes! My eyes!” His cries for pain only continued as more and more smaller purple blasts pelted him all over the chest, pinning him to the wall and eventually sending him through it and down eleven feet from the second floor of the building. 

"What!?” Fiddler said in surprise as he looked down the hall to the front door of the apartment, where a wobbly, barely standing, and panting brown unicorn mare stood with her horn smoking. He looked from her, to the metal duo finally standing up, and growled to himself in frustration before hopping out of the hole in the wall after his partner. With a loud explosion of wind the two took to the sky and disappeared into the darkness, leaving everyone who was left to simply stare out of the hole after them before simultaneously collapsing onto the ground. 

“.....Jesus Christ.” Clarke said in between pants as his metal skin and clothes slowly returned to normal, leaving his body feeling like he had just done a triathlon with zero preparation. 

“......Sweet Celestia.” Fighter said as well, as she underwent the same reverting changes as Clarke. 

“Lan...guage…” Her mother panted heavily before slowly becoming the first to pick themselves up. She limped over to the two of them as they laid down side by side, both of them already passed out from the exertion. She had no idea who this man was, or why he and her daughter were both metal, but from the looks of it he had kept her safe at the cost of his well being. When Lucky got back with the police, and more than likely the royal guards, she’d have to make sure to pass that on before they inevitably took them away. 

She looked off to the side and shook her head in disappointment at the sight of her destroyed kitchen, and the large portions of the missing roof. She could tell that after all of this was said and done, she’d have a lot of things to worry about, but as she laid down and cuddled her sleeping daughter, she knew that she should enjoy this moment of silence while it lasted. At least Fighter was safe, and to her that’s all that mattered.